Yesterday you left me staring at Sandy's quilt...worried that I was going to screw it up with my Free Motion Quilting!! Poor Sandy...I think she was worried too!
I am happy (and relieved!!) to report that the Pfaff performed beautifully...not one frayed thread! Not one skipped stitch...Not one tuck or wrinkle!! It was a MIRACLE!! Hallelujah!
Check it out~
Stitched with loops and daisies…
The back was a soft pink striped flannel…
This was by far the biggest quilt that I have ever quilted… almost Queen size…and I learned a lot!! One of the most important thing I learned was that when quilting a large quilt on a Mid-Arm you have to keep the FMQ simple…ie loops, meandering…no daisies, no motifs!
Why you may ask? :o) Come on work with me…
With a mid arm you only have about 6 inches of ‘play room’. (This is one of the main complaints from quilters who own Mid Arms…there is no room to get creative!) The arm ‘hole’ is only 9” and the take up rod goes in there. As you roll the finished quilt onto this rod that space gets smaller!! This was my work space about 3/4 of the way through this quilt…YIKES…less than 4”!! Hardly any room to make flowers!
As a result, my flowers got smaller. Shhh…don’t tell Sandy…she may not notice!
On the whole though…I am VERY happy (and relieved) that the Pfaff performed so well!!
What did I do differently from the last time… when I had all the problems? (ie frayed and breaking needle thread)
*Well…the actual quilt on the frame was A LOT looser…almost baggy! I read on the net that Quilting machines don’t like it when the quilt is wound on the rods too tightly!
*And I slowed it right down…which is hard to do when the machine is going a mile a minute!
*I also kept a Journal and wrote everything down! I will ALWAYS keep a Journal from now on!! I found this info so valuable. Because of the Journal, I knew EXACTLY when my bobbin would run out and could prepare for it! Writing everything down kept me more focused on the task at hand….which is a good thing! It made me FEEL like I was in control of the machine instead of the other way around!! :o)))
These three simple things…and miracles happened!! I hope this helps others ‘out there’ who are also battling with these same or similar issues!! Sometimes it’s simple little things that make all the differences…
SEW it’s onto the next quilt for me!! Yeah, let’s go get ‘em!!
Have a good one!~P
Congratulations! It's a beauty! Pat yourself on the back for a job well done. I knew you could do it. Note taking is a great idea!
ReplyDeleteI am glad you were able to get her running nicely again. It is nice that you can quilt your own quilts now and you are doing a beautiful job on them.
ReplyDeleteDebbie
Yep, My Short Arm quilting area gets much smaller too. Very Frustrating. I want to quilt BIGGER motifs but can't. Good Job on a BIG quilt.
ReplyDeleteCongrats I'm sure Sandy will be delighted, cute quilt.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations! Lovely job!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great investment for you P, your quilting world has definitely expanded.
ReplyDeleteIt looks fantastic Paulette!! Can I ask what machine you are using?
ReplyDeleteI am very happy with it and can hardly wait to see it "in person". Way to go Paulette, so glad you had no problems with the process.
ReplyDeleteWoohoo, well done you. It looks great.
ReplyDeleteIt looks great! Congrats on tackling a big one!!
ReplyDeleteIt's a win-win for both of you! I love the design and fabrics in Sandy's quilt and our loops and daisies a a perfect quilting pattern.
ReplyDeleteGreat job Paulette!
You've done a great job. Congratulations!
ReplyDelete